Welcome To My Shitposting

If your idea of “social justice” can actually be boiled down to “which group is an acceptable target”, you forgot about the “justice” part. 

“Trans men can be misogynistic because they’re MEN”

No, everyone can be misogynistic because misogyny is not stored in the gender.

Dark Girly: the Sweet, the Bitter, and the Ugly

Dark girly... a term that seems to incite some sort of argument everytime it's mentioned. Some defend its position as a legitimate substyle, while others say it flat out doesn't exist in the Japanese sphere. I'd like to shed some light on the usage of dark girly in japanese SNS circles pre-2020, what constituted as dark girly, and where exactly does it fall in the lines of being a legitimate term.

Disclaimer: I will not be commenting on anything about jirai-kei and jirai culture, I am simply reporting on the existing usage of dark girly and other similar terms in Japanese SNS. I'll respect your opinion as long as you respect mine. If you have any problem with that then take it to the Japanese people who have used dark girly as a fashion/aesthetic term years ago if you seem to have no problem with taking it to english-speakers using dark girly.

First off, dark girly (ダークガーリー) has been used as an aesthetic term/descriptor even way back as 2013, with the example of Sugar Plum, a now defunct/inactive Japanese handmade shop that created accessories with a self-described dark girly concept. Their accessories featured edgy designs such as Kagome crests (not the Star of David) and crosses with some fantastical dreamy elements to tie in the girly atmosphere.

Though overall, dark girly was most commonly used by the jp fashion community to refer to the unique gothic-like girly styling that Larme sometimes used in their spreads, a morose, almost morbid style of girly kei that was bold and bitter (辛口) instead of mild and sweet (甘口) but still retained a dreamy "fairytale"-like quality (think Brothers Grimm).

But what exactly is dark girly? What makes a dark girly coord? Well girly-style.net (when it doesn't crash for non-Japanese users) defines dark girly as a gothic-inspired girly style, while lafary.net described it as a dark and dolly fashion with mysterious and cute clothes that give off a gloomy atmosphere. The characteristics of the clothing are majority black/dark colorways with little to no sweet colored accents, edgy gothic elements such as cross motifs (similar to things you'll find in gothic lolita), belts and harnesses, chokers, boots, but also accompanied with more romantic elements such as black lace and ribbons to keep with the girly style. Brands associated with the style are the likes of Jamie ank, Tsubasa Masuwaka's EATME, and Ma*rs.

The makeup is relatively bolder than the usual dolly makeup, dark eyeshadow and a deep red/wine colored lipstick is common.

The common view people have about this girly style is that it has a bolder impression than other girly styles. In Japanese fashion, there exists sweet or ama styles and hot/bitter kara styles. Girly kei usually falls under sweet, but dark girly is known for being more bitter with a dash of sweetness. If other girly styles are 75% sweet and 25% bitter, Larme is 50% sweet and 50% bitter, while dark girly is 25% sweet and 75% bitter. So when arranging a dark girly coord you need to consider the amount of "bitterness" you have, too sweet and it just becomes regular girly kei, too bitter and it stops being girly at all.

Now let's rip off the bandaid real quick, dark girly is not a mainstream term. Not as much as otona girly or french girly at least. While you will find a few Japanese articles presenting concepts along the lines of 「ダーク×ガーリー」 or 「ゴシック×ガーリー」, there is no universally agreed term for the girly styling referred to as dark girly. While ダークでガーリー and ダークガーリー are the most common descriptors people use for the style, other names and spellings people have come up with for the style are 黒ガーリー, 闇ガーリー, ゴシックガーリー but those are even rarer than dark girly. You will already have difficulty finding articles about dark girly as a solid girly substyle in Japanese, let alone in English.

But here's the thing, you will also barely find any substantial results looking up rokku gyaru and gothic gyaru, as there are barely any Japanese articles presenting rokku gyaru or gothic gyaru as solid gyaru substyles. Most of the usage of ゴシックギャル and ロックギャル is on SNS, where some gyarus use them as descriptors for their own style, just as jp girly wearers have used dark girly as a descriptor for their own style even if it's not a rock solid term.

I've noticed that there's this tendency in the overseas jfashion community to overcategorize things into separate substyles because they fear straying too much from the standard of a certain style to the point it stops being that style, so they try to make substyles to avoid any overstepping any boundaries of a fashion they might not be familiar with or have any authority over. Jp fashion communities tend to be more lax in terms of substyles (unless you're a lolita). Some choose to clarify they specifically like dark girly fashion, while others just say they like girly fashion even if they primarily only wear dark girly. This also applies to other jfashions like gyaru, decora, and gothic fashion.

So don't knock dark girly till you try it! You're not a poser for using dark girly as a term even if it isn't an "established" one.

What is a magic system?

When writing speculative fiction, one of the writer’s most important jobs is to establish the new rules for their world. In many branches of speculative fiction, especially fantasy and even horror, this is magic, though it can also be technology and alternate scientific rules for science fiction. Whatever alternate fact(s) or reality you utilize to make your fictional world possible, that qualifies as a “magic system.” Your magic system is most often defined by what it can’t do rather than by what it can.

Why do I need a magic system?

When writing speculative fiction, it’s usually assumed that something about your world is different than ours. That can be a small tweak or it can be a complete dismantle-and-reassembly of physics as we understand it. Whatever system you choose to implement, it needs to have internally consistent rules. If, throughout the course of your book, magics begin to contradict each other, then it will disturb your readers suspension of disbelief. You don’t want your awesome magic to yank your readers from the believability of the story. But…most important of all…you have to establish some sort of rules and limits in order to prevent yourself from pulling a deus ex machina. No one likes a poorly executed deus ex machina. Few people like a well executed one (is there such a thing?). If you have rules, limits, cost, built into the magic or technology of your world, then you establish something that is not only nuanced and interesting, but believable.

But…but…it’s magic!!!

Why write speculative fiction if I have to create and follow all of these tedious rules?! The real world has rules enough.

It’s true. But following your own rules and following real worlds aren’t the same thing. Lots of you have probably heard the little saying, “Give your world a Flux Capacitor.” If you think about it, Back to the Future’s Flux Capacitor doesn’t make a lot of sense. It’s not explained. But we accept it because it’s magic. And when Doc says, “Here’s this thing. It makes time travel possible.” We accept it because it’s a simple alteration. He doesn’t try to use it to do more than what is initially established. It never breaks that rule. It’s not used to get Marty out of an impossible situation, defying any previous understanding of the technology. That’s why it works.

So where you do start?

First, you need to probably choose what type of magic you will use. Will be elements based? Or energy based? Spirit? Physical? Time and Space? What things is your magic summoning/manipulating/drawing from?

Now you’ll want to focus on the parts that make your magic yours. Sure, elemental magic has been used half a zillion times, but it can still be interesting if you do something new with it. The best way to do something new is to alter its limits, change the cost, give it a new spin that makes your regular ol’ fire magic something intriguing.

You can do a little bit of research into ancient forms of magic, into other literary uses of magic. See what those before you have done and use it as an inspiration.

If you’re having trouble knowing where to start, I’m here to provide you some thoughts concerning the skeletal-assembly of your magic system! Use these prompts as you see fit!

What does magic use/alter/manipulate?

visible energies

gravity

laws of physics

light

thought

water, only, in all of its forms

fabric of space

elementary particles

items of specific color or texture

perception

plant life

the dead

blood

magnetic forces

demons

vibrations

earth

emotions

Who possesses magic?

scholars

children

random lucky people

anyone

everyone

the elderly

anyone who’s ever petted a dog

specific animals

deities

How is it acquired?

at birth

intense study and training

gifted

through random action

through a ritual

as one ages

stolen

From where is power drawn?

internal mana

heat energy

alignment of the stars

physical contact with _____ (the earth, another life force, a drawing or rune)

kinetic or potential energy

the moon(s)

other realms

movement of tectonic plates

spiritual energy of those nearby

consumption of specific foods/drinks/elements

Check out the rest of the Brainstorming Series! Magic Systems, Part Two New Species New Worlds Cultures Civilizations Map Making Politics and Government Belief Systems & Religion Guilds, Factions, & Groups War & Conflict Science & Technology Wildlife & Ecosystems History & Lore

It's my 8 year anniversary on Tumblr 🥳

wait WHAT

༺୨♡︎୧༺ Hair For Girls Maxis Match .✧. Part 4༺୨♡︎୧༺

You can find Part 1 . 2 . 3 . here𖦹

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Huge Thanks To The Creators ₊⊹♡. @sleepingsims @daylifesims @plutorienos @simandy @liyaglsv @arethabee @yooniesim @goamazons @sehablasimlish @enriques4 @joliebean @okruee @sunivaa @vyxated

I’m looking for a very specific image and I need some help

I know that the holy lantern advertisements featured two girls in this floating pose but I’ve only been able to find this singular image. The other was of the red color way in a dark gothic style room.

If anyone has it I’d really appreciate it because the magazine spread is so cool.

It might’ve been in a GLB or an angelic pretty collection preview.

Any help would be much appreciated!

this is a tweet, but it’s relevant here

Lazy “coloring” tutorial

hi 👋

this is my spam account, i used to post art here but not anymore. I mainly just like and reblog here, with the occasional comment every now and then.